


Gifted

by pirateherokillian (Pirateherokillian)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:06:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26603437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pirateherokillian/pseuds/pirateherokillian
Summary: All he wants if for her life to be normal. The world is determined to decide otherwise. Written for the Captain Swan Movie Marathon.
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones & Alice Jones | Tilly, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28
Collections: Captain Swan Movie Marathon





	Gifted

**Author's Note:**

> Here is my CS AU based on the movie 'Gifted'. This story will feature much more romance/focus on the relationship between Killian and Emma than the movie did for their respective character counterparts, I promise!

The high-pitched ‘do-do’ing of ‘Baby Shark’ blaring from his cellphone had Killian startling awake suddenly, a loud groan rumbling into his pillow as he came into the world of the semi-conscious. Reaching out blindly for the offending device, face still firmly planted against cotton-encased stuffing, his hand collided with a couple of empty beer bottles littering his nightstand. They clattered to the pressboard surface, one even going so far as to tumble to the floor, before his fingers found purchase on the phone. 

He slapped at it pathetically, praying to every god he could remember that that alone would get it to  _ stop _ singing the infernal song. When the irritating little menaces still continued to ‘do-do’, Killian groaned again, this time louder and more agitated than before, before pushing himself up more fully so he could grab for his phone entirely. 

Flopping onto his back, the cell held up over him, he finally managed to get it to just… not do the damn Baby Shark-ing anymore. And that’s when he noticed the alarm he’d named ‘Alice School’ just the evening before had been rebranded to ‘YOUR DUMB AND YOU CAN’T MAKE ME.’

Killian dropped his arm down with a sigh, his hand holding the phone bouncing slightly on the bed. He reached up with his free hand to rub at his eyes, feeling the headache this day was gonna bring building just behind them.

“Bloody little demon,” He muttered to himself with exasperated affection before flipping back the comforter.

\----

Knocking lightly on the bathroom door, Killian sipped from his coffee mug as he leaned against the frame. “Come on, let’s have a look.”

“No!” The indignant voice of his seven-year-old niece shouted back through the warped and slightly cracking wood. 

“Alice…” Killian called again in that sweet voice he only reserved for annoying the child. “You have to come out some time.”

“Not in this, I don’t!” She argued back. The agitation in her voice seemed to only increase at his own faux-sweetness. 

Taking another drink of his coffee, Killian gave his head a sad little shake like she could see him through the door. “You’ll just abandon Smee to the likes of  _ me _ . Here I thought you loved him!” There was an indignant huff on the other side of the door, but silence was the only thing to follow that. “Come now, little love. I’ve got a special breakfast planned for you.”

It was enough to get Alice to pull the door open quickly. “You swore you’d never make mackerel for breakfast again!” She cried in horror, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and disgust. 

Killian quirked an eyebrow and lowered his mug. “Who said it was mackerel, hmmm?” He eyed her up and down, bringing his mug down to rest against his stomach while he took in the full look. “You look adorable.”

“Just because my name is  _ Alice _ doesn’t mean I wanna look like a Disney character,  _ Killian _ .” She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted dramatically. “You did this one purpose,” When Killian raised both eyebrows in curiosity, she rolled her eyes in response. “For Baby Shark…”

Pushing off the doorframe, Killian moved the short distance down the hall towards the kitchen. “I’m many amazing things, darling, but clairvoyant is not one of them.” He tossed over his shoulder before stopping at the counter to the right of the sink. 

He used his free hand to shoo Alice’s scraggly one-eyed cat, Mr. Smee, out of the way and set down his mug. The sound of little footsteps stomping their way after him let him know that Alice had indeed decided to join him. The chair behind him scraped against the old wooden floor while Killian reached up into the cabinet and extracted a box from it. 

Turning, he slapped it down onto the kitchen table in front of Alice. “Breakfast.” He turned on his heels to snatch up a bowl and spoon from the dishrack and placed that on the table for her as well. 

“You said it was special…” Alice muttered in confusion as Killian made his way over to the fridge. 

He pulled the milk out and moved back to her, making sure to turn the box of cereal around to reveal the ‘Special K’ on the front side. He then set the milk down and went about getting her lunch for the day prepared. 

“That’s cheating.”

Killian snorted as he untied the bag of bread. “You’re the one who always claims I’m a pirate…” He turned back to hover over her shoulder. “I’m just living up to the moniker.” He playfully teased with a poke to her side that made her giggle despite her obvious attempt to remain indignant. “Now eat your cereal. You don’t wanna be late for the bus.”

Reluctantly, Alice went about preparing her breakfast while Killian turned back to making her lunch. That didn’t stop the girl from informing him, yet again, of how he was making a  _ terrible mistake. _

“What’s Mr. Smee gonna do  _ all _ day if you’re getting dirty on other people’s boats  _ and _ forcing me to go sit with dumb little kids?”

“Hey now,” Killian chastised sternly, turning to give her a serious look with a knife full of peanut butter hovering in the air above the counter. “Being annoyed with me is no excuse for rudeness. It’s-

Alice slumped, dropping her spoon into her bowl. “ _ Bad form _ . I get it.”

“Then don’t do it.” She made a face in response, but still nodded nonetheless and he knew that was the best he was going to get. He returned his focus back to her peanut butter and jelly. Silence finally filled the small kitchen as the two went about their respective business and it was only a few minutes later that Killian had her lunch box packed and sitting on the table, ready to go.

He started to move out of the room towards his bedroom, but Alice saying his name stopped him. Killian stopped and looked at her expectantly. 

She was giving him a curious look. “What does ‘clairvoyant’ mean?”

His eyebrow raised and he smirked. “You mean you don’t know?” At her almost sheepish shake of her head, he quirked his head to the side and started for his bedroom once more. “Sounds like someone needs school.” He said loudly, grinning outright when an exasperated groan flittered out from the kitchen.

\-----

The sea breeze ruffled his hair as he stood with Alice outside waiting for the bus to arrive. He had to stop himself from mentioning how it was the perfect weather to be out on the water, lest he put the idea in her head that they could buck this whole school thing and go out for a joy ride like they normally did on days like this. 

_ ‘No _ ,’ Killian thought to himself as he banished boat rides from his mind. ‘ _ Alice needs this. She needs school.’  _ He looked over his shoulder at the miniscule beach bungalow they called home, then scanned their immediate surroundings. There were near identical buildings scattered about, all tiny homes for the retirees and marina working class that often populated the type of Floridian town they resided in. There were no other children in their little complex, no other people Alice’s own age for her to interact with. He had brought her to this place to get her out away from the world that would break her. 

The least he could do was try and make things as normal for a seven-year-old as he possibly could. 

He noticed the bus finally start to turn down the long road that led to where they were standing. School was normal for a kid…

Kneeling down, he spun Alice around to face him. She still had that indignant glint to her eye, but she had at least stopped arguing with him about the situation. Some part of his decision had finally sunk in for her. He just hoped what he was about to say did as well. For her sake, he really bloody hoped she took it to heart.

“Starfish,” He reached up and brushed her bangs away from her eyes. It was futile considering the wind sent the hair ruffling about again instantly, but that was unimportant. “Remember what we talked about, aye? Be kind, be courteous, show  _ good form _ and-”

“No showing off.” Alice parroted the advice he’d given her the night before back to him with a roll of her eyes. “I remember, Killian.”

Killian smiled, knowing it was a little weak but it was the best he could do besides blatantly asking her if she  _ truly _ got it. They didn’t have time for that conversation at that moment. “Okay…” He brushed his thumb over her cheek and he felt a strong pang in his chest at how much her eyes reminded Killian of  _ him _ . “I just…” He glanced up as the sound of the bus drawing closer got his attention.

“Just remember to... be a kid, aye?” He finally sighed as he looked back to his niece. Over her shoulder, the bus came to a stop at the curb. 

“Alright.” Alice mumbled as if the suggestion was the most insane thing she’d ever heard. The doors to the bus slid open and Killian rose back to his feet and turned her towards the waiting transport. He stopped a few steps shy of the curb and nudged her forward lightly when she stopped with him. She huffed but continued on to the bus.

She stopped, however, halfway up the steps and turned back to him. “You won’t ignore Smee, right?” She asked in a way that was somehow childlike and accusatory at the same time. 

Killian snorted and it was his turn to roll his eyes. “Smee would never let me ignore him, love.” He nodded his chin down the length of the bus to encourage her to keep going. “Have fun.”

For a moment, a look of fear and uncertainty crossed her face. But it passed just as quickly as it came and she gave him one final nod before making her way deeper into the bus and out of his sight. The driver gave him a congenial nod before pulling the lever to shut the door. 

Drawing in a deep breath, Killian watched the bus pull away as he slowly let the air out of his lungs. He really couldn’t help but wonder if he _was_ _actually_ doing the right thing by throwing Alice out into the public school system, but it was too late to question it now. He waited for the bus to get a little further away before he nodded resolutely and turned back towards the house with his hands in his pockets. He slowly started to make his way over to it and it was then that he noticed a familiar, annoyed face watching him from the doorway window of the bungalow just a short distance from his. 

“Shit,” He muttered to himself, quickening his pace as the woman swung open her door and started towards him with purpose. Killian managed to get inside his own home and lock the door before she could reach his front porch, but it was all in vain as he heard the jangle of landlord keys finding their way into the lock.

He sighed, pulling open the fridge and grabbing a beer as his kitchen door swooshed open just to his left. “I’m pretty sure that’s a strong abuse of authority.”

“Shut it, Jones.” His landlord tossed back just as she tossed her keys onto the counter he had propped himself against. She glared him down as he turned and used the countertop to pop the top off the bottle before he took a sip. “You’re an idiot.”

Killian snorted around the mouthful of beer in his mouth. “You’ll have to be more specific, Ursula.” He gave her a cheeky look. “I’ve done my fair share of idiotic things in my day.”

She pointed at him menacingly. “Don’t play coy with me, Killian.” The finger she had directed at him swung around behind her out the still-open kitchen door and towards the street. “You know I’m talking about sending that girl away.”

Anger flared in Killian’s chest and he shifted to slam the bottle down on the counter. “I didn’t send her away,” He fired back at Ursula, bitter resentment working its way into his tone. He didn’t wait to see her reaction, instead pushing off the counter and stalking out of the room towards his bedroom. He could hear her following as he made his way towards his bed. “It’s just school. It’s  _ normal _ for kids her age to go to school.”

Ursula stayed in the doorway, leaning against the frame. Her expression had softened a fraction, Killian’s angry words in the kitchen seeming to have some effect on her. “If she  _ was _ normal, I’d agree with you.” She put her hand on her hip. “But Alice is-”

“I know what Alice is, Ursula.” Killian sighed as he threw himself down onto the edge of his mattress. He leaned over and reached for his boots laying haphazardly on the floor. “Just last night, she was  _ explaining to me _ what our government should be doing to boost the economy.” He muttered loudly while lacing his shoes. “‘ _ It’s such simple math, Killian,’ _ He repeated the words his niece had casually said to him the night before over her easy mac. ‘ _ Why can’t the administration see that?’ _

His blue eyes found Ursula’s again as he sat back up sharply. “I’m thirty-three years old being lectured to about the economy by a child.” He stood from the bed and stepped over to his dresser to snatch the keys up from where he’d tossed them yesterday evening. “Nobody her age should be caring about what the  _ administration _ is doing.” Killian said as he stopped in front of Ursula. “She should be doing regular kid things, with  _ kids _ her own age. Not her thirty-something uncle day in and day out.” He pushed past her out the doorway. He continued on back through the kitchen and out through the door that was still sitting wide open. He stalked over to his aging work truck, shoving the key into the lock and yanking the door open.

Ursula was hot on his heels, the keys she’d picked back up from the counter jingling all the way. “Killian…”

He spun around to face her, throwing his arms out wide as he stepped away from the truck a fraction. “She needs to be a kid, Urs. I’ve done all I can to give that to her, but it’s not enough.” 

“And you really think  _ public school _ is the best place for her to get ‘enough’?” She questioned.

Killian shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. But it’s the best I’ve got.”

“Well,” Ursula shook her head and gave him a foreboding look. “I sure hope your  _ best _ doesn’t make life any more difficult for any of us, that girl especially.” Her finger came up to point at him again. “If anybody comes for her, I’ll make sure your body ends up somewhere  _ nobody _ will find it. You may have the reputation of a pirate, but they don’t call me a sea witch around here for nothing, boy.” With that, she spun sharply and strode back towards her house.

“Love you too!” Killian called out to her, smirking as she waved a hand aggressively over her shoulder towards him. He sighed and climbed up into his truck. Her words bounced around his head. 

_ ‘I hope your best doesn’t make life anymore difficult for any of us, that girl especially.’  _

“Me too, love.” He mumbled to himself. “Me too.”

A meow from the passenger seat drew his attention, and Killian turned his head to find Mr. Smee watching him expectantly. Almost judgingly, if he was being fully honest with himself.

“Not you too.” He grumbled as he shoved his keys into the ignition and the truck rumbled to life. “I can and will throw you overboard sometime today.”

The answering mew he got made it clear Mr. Smee knew he was absolutely full of shit. He chuckled to himself and shook his head before shifting the truck into drive so he could head off to work. 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to come chat with me about this story, or any of my other work, on my socials! My Tumblr is [pirateherokillian](http://pirateherokillian.tumblr.com) and my Twitter is [pirateherojones](http://twitter.com/pirateherojones)


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